


Out of the Rain

by Natsumoui



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-10-29 11:49:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17807453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Natsumoui/pseuds/Natsumoui
Summary: Olivia is doing her best in life, juggling expectations of her parents, to friends, and trying to survive school. With the addition of saving Paris on a daily basis, things are going a bit haywire for the young woman as she learns what it means to take a deep breath and take everything one step at a time.





	1. 1

It was almost surreal for her to see the increasing looks of concern people had aimed towards their phones, almost if they were feeling physical agony from the situation. There was good news: the price of dairy was finally low and a math test was postponed for next week, but no one saw that as permanent relief. She could hear the soft whispers in between periods where people were dragging up conspiracies here and there; the wildest one she has heard was about how the government was behind the disappearance. It was wild, but it was not impossible.  
Olivia glanced down to her own phone, tapping on the small article that the class’ gossiper had shared. The acquaintance was worried that her investigation was driven passionately on that aspect. Olivia couldn’t blame Alya though as it was not something she could control.  
Refreshing the article as if some miracle would somehow correct every problem, she was only disappointed to see the same thing. ‘Ladybug disappearing act: day 3’.  
\--

“I don’t understand, it is not like her to miss lunch again,” Alya exclaimed, tossing her lunchbox in a defeated way on her desk, shoulders slumped. The main target of her blog had suddenly vanished and so did her best friend.  
  
Olivia could only smile in sympathy and pat the girl’s shoulder. It was weird though, even she had to admit. Marinette was, in a way, perfect to the point where even Olivia felt envious. She would offer desserts once a month that her family made, be there to help anyone in need and a rather cute fashion style. Her effect that she had on the class is the main reason as to why people were ready to form a march to Marinette’s household and question if she was okay.  
  
“Olivia!” She rolled her eyes, a smile on her face as she pretended not to hear someone calling out, “Olivia Perret, I can see you! Don’t think I can’t see that smile!”  
She glanced outside of her classroom door to see her friendly menace of a friend waving to her from across the courtyard. It wouldn’t do her any good to continue to be yelled at and nearly harassed as she waved back.  
  
“I’ll be there soon!” She replied before looking down to Alya, “I’m going to go now…but if you would like to join us…!” She was quick to add the latter part when she saw the look of sadness from Alya. It was not like she disliked Alya, but she didn’t want to put Dimitri in a situation where he was forced to entertain a stranger in his eyes. She was not sure if the woman had sensed her doubts, but Alya only shook her head, putting on a confident look.  
  
“Thanks for the invite, but I’m just gonna stay here and update a few things on my phone. I’d be a party pooper.” Olivia laughed along to Alya’s chuckle as it was true, but wasn’t willing to say anything after that. With a small goodbye, she held her lunchbox in her hand and brightened she closed in on Dimitri smug look.  
“You look happy to see me.”  
  
“I look happy to see anyone who offers me candy and or food.”  
  
“The perfect target for kidnappers.” Olivia chuckled at his comment before slapping his shoulder. It was always pleasant to get a little taste of Dimitri’s food because his mother would usually make too much. Moving down the stairs, she sat at one of the available tables and pulled out her own food. Nonetheless, her fork attacked his tenderized steak that was hiding in one of his containers.  
  
“Thanks for helping me with that paper last week. I got it back; A-.” Dimitri praised as Olivia only nodded, taking another piece of his steak, pouting when it was deflected by his knife. As she tried her hand in a little puppy-dog look, she gave out a small huff when he wasn’t going to relent.  
“I’m glad. I like learning about influences that Spain had on during times of imperialism.”  
  
“Only you would be interested in something bland.” She shrugged as it was true. It was not like her to become egotistical and call herself a history buff, but she knew a lot. Her mother liked to make a point during dinners with the husband’s colleagues and blatantly point out the lack of reparations made towards Haiti. It usually left people with the regret of ever talking to Mrs. Perret with the idea of how French was the best one to come out of history. Her father was embarrassed, but there was some amusement to be seen on his face.  
  
Dimitri thankfully carried the conversation: he asked about home life, about her older sister in college way too far, her part-time job for her father, and finally, about the ladybug.  
  
“Do you think she quit the superhero job?” Olivia was quick to open her mouth, but nothing came out. Could you actually quit being a superhero? Didn’t you have some type of obligation to help out if you knew you held those abilities? “Maybe she has a family now?”  
  
“No way.” Olivia finally spoke up, “She looks too young to have a family.” If anything, the light pitch of her voice made her think someone who was within her age range, maybe even a little bit older if she wanted to stretch out the possibility, “I don’t really see her as the type to stop all of a sudden. If anything, there’s been an increase in akuma attacks recently. Then you have Chat Noir doing this all by himself. It seems unreasonable.”  
  
She watched as Dimitri only nodded, puncturing a hole through his juice box with a straw. “It’s kind of fucked.”  
  
“Language, Dimitri, or I am telling your mother.”  
  
“Oh, stop it.” Sharing a laugh, she glanced down to her food, picking at it with a fork. It has been three days without Ladybug and it was not looking too good for anyone. Perhaps there was a disagreement between the duo that ended with bitterness? Ladybug having a family somehow? Ladybug kidnapped? The last one seemed possible, but yet, felt untrue. The heroine had gotten herself out of every situation; she was ladybug after all and was a symbol of luck and hope. Was it possible that the luck had run out? She felt a sudden cold on her spine and looked up to the open view of the sky.  
\--  
Classes were finally over for the day as Olivia spent the last few classes scrolling through her phone. It was no doubt going to bite her back once she is home doing homework, but she can deal with it once that time comes. With a small goodbye to some of her classmates, she had started to walk back home with Dimitri in tow; it did not last long as the man had his own responsibilities as a rugby player.  
  
“Don’t get too hurt or else I won’t see you at school – who will feed me then?”  
  
“Bye!” He teased her, quickly rounding the corner to reach the training area. Giving her own weak wave, she could feel her own responsibilities weighing in, making her slightly annoyed. She had cello lessons today after days of putting it off; her father wouldn’t give her another free day, especially if it’s her mother who would surely stop Olivia’s pouting effect on her father.  
  
The other responsibility, she could muster up the strength to collect; a few more vegetables for her mother’s famous dish. That provided enough power in her feet to make a straight path to the small grocery market. As one of the few places that offered foods beyond Europe, Olivia’s family was pretty well-known.  
Every time she had entered the shop, she saw something different, strange even that made her curious and excited to know where it came from. The outside may have looked slightly dingy, the painted letters above were slowly chipping away, and it was rather small, but the real magic was inside. Pressing a hand against the door, she heard the familiar bell and watched as Nico, the shop owner, had had a fake smile on his face before brightening up.  
  
“Ah, Olive!”  
  
“Olivia.” She corrected, not missing a beat as she felt it was their own private joke, “How are things, Mr. Malik?”  
  
“Always unexpected. What is your mother cooking today?”  
  
“And how do you know it is not me or my dad cooking?”  
  
There was a brief moment of silence before the man let out a boisterous laugh that left the woman chuckling and slightly hurt; she set herself up for that one. He did not waste a beat, showing her all that was there to offer, some things from as far as Brazil. He managed to get food that could only be thought of in a children’s book. It was her theory that he used to be part of a crime syndicate and developed many “friends” because of it. There was a small twinkle in his eyes when she confessed it to him, but he never confirmed or denied it. Only a grin and a “who knows” coming from his lips. Irritating beyond everything.  
  
She grasped a small cart along the way, watching in curiosity as there was an elderly man who was doing his own shopping. What he was planning to do with pig’s tongue, she could only imagine a soup of sorts. Giving out a pleasant smile when she passed by him, she continued along her way through the aisle, collecting the necessities, but little snacks for herself. It didn’t take long for her to retrieve everything and make it to the register. Her quick escape from the store was delayed when the older man with the cute Hawaiian shirt from before was buying for so many items. It made her hesitant to see him carry it, barely lifting an arm up. But she had to go home and go through her own responsibilities.  
  
“Sir, do you need help?” She said before she could stop herself, leaving her small hand cart on top of the counter. Approaching quickly, she definitely saw how he seemed somewhat surprised, but gave her a genuine smile that she could only return.  
  
“Oh, don’t worry. I just need to get to the bus stop down the street. It’s quite–”  
  
“I would hate it if you had missed your bus. I’ll help, no worries.” She insisted, holding her hand out as he slowly put some bags in her hands. Despite it being filled with canned goods, it was somewhat manageable, “I’ll be back Mr. Malik!”  
  
“Take your time.”  
  
Pushing the door open, she was only carrying two bags and it seemed like a lot already. Upper body strength was not her strong suit. The end of the block was not too far, but she felt she needed to say something. “Do you shop here often?”  
  
“Not too much. I just like to stock up whenever he has Vienna sausages.” This caused Olivia to look down in the bag and saw the majority of cans being what he said. Maybe he was obsessed with it? What could you really make with sausages that came inside of gelatin? She did her best to keep the puzzlement internally and let the conversation end at that. She placed the groceries on the ground when they reached the bus stop as she glanced around. It hasn’t come around yet, which is good given she would feel immense guilt if he missed it.  
  
“Thank you for your help.” He spoke as he reached into his wallet to pull out a few coins.  
  
“No, no.” She quickly stated, waving her hands frantically, “It’s not needed. I just wanted to help.” It wouldn’t be a helping hand if she received some type of payment for it. It was only a few steps away as well.  
  
She hoped the answer was enough for him as he motioned his wallet again. With one final shake of her head, he relented and put his wallet back within his breast pocket.  
  
“You have a kind soul inside of you." She didn’t want to seem ungrateful as she looked at him with some type of awe. All that just for helping him to the bus stop? It truly wasn’t needed as it was just a natural thing to do; helping others if she was able too.  
  
“Thank you.” She spoke softly, more willing to take the compliment, rubbing her hands together roughly as her cheeks couldn't stop the smile on her face. Glancing down, she stared at his bags full of Vienna sausages.  
  
“My groceries.” She gasped out, quickly looking over her shoulder, “I have to go, but I hope the bus comes for you soon, sir.”  
  
With a quick handshake, her heart felt lighter to know one good deed had happened today. Although the happiness would be short lasting as she realized when paying for her groceries she had homework she did not understand; so much for not paying attention.


	2. Chapter 2

Olivia felt like she was on pins and needles, tapping her fingers against the table, earning her a few looks of confusion mixed in with annoyance. That was beyond her It was her hope that she wouldn’t be the type to bring more attention to her, but that did not seem to work out. The morning of the weekend should have been like any other time; not many problems, the occasional chat with her folks in the morning, and doing a little shopping for dinner. Go back home and practice her music. It sounded simple and reasonable…

_She had returned back from getting a few drinks from Mr. Malik’s shop, running into the elderly man from before that needed help with his bags. She soon found out that he was known as Mr. Chan and has lived in Paris for a while now. She tried asking where he came from before, if he moved because of family was around, but he was not willing to part with such information. She could respect that to avoid that, focusing questions on what he was planning to make for dinner. Wonton soup with some chow mein. The thought alone was enough to cause her stomach to growl. She wasn't going home on an empty stomach as she explained she had to pick up a few more vegetables for her mom as she was currently cooking some classic Caribbean food. While the conversation had to end quickly as she truly had to stay on a time table, she took her goods and went home without delay for once. The kitchen smelled of wonderful flavors mixed into one, she knew her father had a hard time staying focus as he occasionally looked up from his computer to look into the kitchen.  
_

_"You think you can go in there and steal a piece of beef?" She teased him, kissing his temple as he chuckled._

_"And gain her classic scolding look? I think I rather suffer and wait. Did you get yourself from sweets again?" She looked down in her bag, smiling at the look of the different chocolate before a curious look was on her face as she spotted a dark hexagonal box inside of her bag. When did that happen? "What happened?"_

_"Nothing, nothing." She quickly answered before reaching down and pulled the box out, "I'll be in my room, let me know when the food is done...and before you start eating this time."_

_"No promises."_

_"No promises." She mimicked before going up the stairs. With her door firmly close, she tossed it between both hands._

_“Maybe Mr. Malik slipped it inside?” It wasn’t unlike him to slip in a small candy here and there. The thought itself made her relax in her bean bag chair, happily opening the box as she expected something caramel flavored; those hard candies was always a guilty pleasure for her and she was never going to say no to that.  
_

_A small whine left her lips as she looked to see jewelry of some kind, a rose gold ring finger that could cover a section of her joint. There were quatrefoil patterns all around with a small diamond in the center of the hollow pattern. There was no time to actually try and touch the strange jewelry as a bright light coming from the jewelry had suddenly appeared, making her throw the box on her bed as if to suppress it. It didn’t help that the glowing ball of light was gravitating itself towards her. Just what the heck did she just opened? Was it one of those silent alarms that would notify the police..? Was she going to be sent to jail? How was she going to explain to her parents she was going to be missing dinner? A small gasp escaped her mouth even after the light had dimmed down significantly. It was the least of her worries as she noticed a floating figure in front of her, no bigger than the palm of her hand._

_It was, by any standard, cute. The initial look reminded her of a rabbit, ears that about half the length of its body. It had whiskers on its white head as Olivia approached with caution. Its eyes started to flicker open as gray eyes were looking right back at her. Why this figure had pink eye shadow, it was beyond her. The creature gave her a large grin as Olivia spotted two long front teeth separated by a gasp.  
_

_“Hi, there!” The voice made Olivia scream, pressing her back against the closet door to steady herself. What was going on? Was her mind playing tricks on her? “I knew this would have happened, but don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.”_

_“I just need more sleep; I’ve been practicing too much at night and not getting a good enough sleep; that makes complete sense.” Olivia did her best to justify the flying entity. When the creature flew in closer, she willed her mind to wish it away. It wasn’t working.  
_

_The creature smiled gently at her as it patted Olivia's nose. The soft touch felt cold, yet soft as Olivia tilted her head to the side and took deep breaths. “If I was an illusion, could I do that?” It spoke._

_“I mean…can you give me a minute.” She pleaded slowly as the creature nodded and flew over to the box and perched on the side of it._

_She rubbed her eyes to the point where she was seeing white specks across her vision. The creature was oddly patient as it glanced through Olivia’s room with some fascination._

_“What are you?” Olivia finally asked, taking small steps towards the creature and glanced down to the finger ring, “And…where did you come from? The ring?”_

_“Getting right to it, finally! I’m Fluff!” It was definitely not her imagination as she wouldn’t pick a name so…silly, “And I’m a kwami.”_

_Olivia nodded as if she knew what it meant before slowly shaking her head, admitting she had no idea what that meant. It was a perfect time to learn as she sat on the floor, tensing when Fluff sat on her knee. She had to realize that the small creature was not going to harm her. Freak her out at most, but it was still unsettling.  
_

_Fluff had explained that she was a kwami, strange creatures that give power to those who wield their miraculous. In Fluff’s case, it was the ring. Where Fluff came from? The small creature shrugged off the question. It wasn’t just one side though as Fluff asked about her own life, location, and her hobbies. It was…it was something to talk about her activities tat she took upon herself, but weirder things have happened in Paris given the akumatized citizens that pop up like weeds in cracks._

_"Do not worry, Olivia. I am only here to help and I am determined to help you." Despite it all with her imagination being out of whack all of a sudden, there was some comfort to hear Fluff make a passionate promise about helping her whenever she needs. Olivia hesitated to make the same promise back, not sure what end goal Fluff would want. She was still under the belief that she just needed more sleep and everything will return to normal. Now question is what can she do with this...kwami? Fluff made it sound simple that she can make Olivia a hero with a few simple words. That's all, huh?  
_

_“The way you can activate me is saying my name first, then ears up.” That made Olivia give a look to her newly found…friend? Companion? The term yet had to be defined, “I’m serious!”_

_“And so is my disbelief…what happens if I say that? Do I magically explode? Do you disappear?” There were far too many possibilities for her to feel comfortable with.  
_

_“Magical things happen.” Not the way to convince her, but Olivia slid the ring on and looked at it from all angles; it fit her pretty well and given time, she might consider it cute. Tilting her head to question Fluff if this was the right way, the kwami was eagerly jumping on her knee, chanting for her to say it._

_“Fluff…ears…up?”_

_“No.” Fluff deadpanned, “You need to say it with conviction, with absolute certainty. It will only benefit you or else it won’t work.”_

_“But it feels silly. I feel like I’m those cheesy cartoon characters that need to shout out everything I do.” Olivia defended herself, but Fluff’s pout seemed to be more visible, “Fine, fine…but if my mother comes up here, demanding why I’m making noise–”_

_“We will deal with that when we cross the bridge, now say it.” Fluff dismissed her concerns, “You can stop it though by saying ears down, but I doubt you will need that. You are going to have so much fun!”_

_It felt strange to the woman as she couldn’t help an awkward laugh, pumping out her chest. This will all be a joke they can laugh about it later and then she can finally get a nap in. “Fluff, ears...up!”_

_Her ring started to vibrate as she watched as Fluff’s body warp into her ring, a small tingling sensation going throughout her body. Her skirt had disappeared as she saw her leggings become a gray color, her whole body feeling covered. She desperately looked to her mirror and let out a scream at what she saw.  
_

That transform did not last long as Olivia had more question than answers. The whole idea was terrifying, and it only occurred yesterday. Fluff was annoyed at her, begging her to try and transform again, but the frightened teenager went to her cello lessons, did her homework, all with wide-eyes as there was a flying creature in her in her purse.

“Knock it off, Perret! No one needs an attention seeker.” A shrill voice followed by a resonating slap on the desk got her attention. Glancing up, she saw the blue-eyed heiress of the class and frowned slightly. Her being an attention seeker? It was ironic coming from the girl whose tantrums and bouts of short temper nearly got everyone in class akumatized in one way or another. The frown only made Chloe continue on her tirade, “Are you trying to show off your gaudy ring? Where did you get that from, from a thrift store?”

Olivia glanced down at her ring, twisting it slightly. What would Chloe say if the woman just suddenly transformed in front of her? It certainly would scare the ugly blue mascara off her face. The idea caused a small smile on her face as she glanced back to the girl. “I think it looks cute.” She replied with a small smile, “It goes with my outfit.”

“Well, I think–”

“It’s. cute. I don't care what you think.”  Olivia stressed out, looking back at Chloe. There were better things to worry about than getting up on the defensive. Like how her bag was shaking given how active Fluff was acting. She saw Chloe’s tantrum underway and went to her back, pressing her phone against her ear as she pretended to talk.

“You are moving around a lot in there.” She whispered as Fluff looked up to her and floated closer. It was almost cute to see how her ears were limp. Almost. Olivia still had a hard time believing that Fluff was an actual creature. She was close to thinking she needed a therapist. Perhaps after another day, she can talk to her mom about it...

“It’s uncomfortable laying on anything in here! Can’t I just go into your pocket?” It was just binders and books, which Olivia could sympathize with. That wasn’t a soft spot to lay in, but there was nothing else she could do to make it comfortable.

“What? No. I didn’t even want to bring you in the first place.” She whispered back. “It’s only for a couple of hours, then you can stretch out when we are done for as long as you–

“That’s gonna be forever. Please? Your pocket looks comfy.”

“No–”

“Miss Perret, get off your phone please, class is about to start.” Ms. Mendeleev spoke up. Olivia froze at the attention on her and made up her mind. She slipped her phone back in her bag and sighed at the big-eyed look Fluff was giving her.

“And it’s might be warmer, and I won’t move around so much, I promise,” Fluff added on, her voice barely coming out. This only resulted in a stare down before Olivia rolled her eyes. Was it that hard to believe she just wanted to stay focus and perhaps not deal with a flying entity?

“You can stay in there, but if you start to move around too much, you are going back into the bag.” Fluff continued inside anyway with her grin wide, showing off the small gap between her front teeth. She felt Fluff shifting in her pocket and smiled a little. The one good thing coming from it is that her right thigh is now warm.

When the lesson started to get underway, there was something soothing to know Fluff would have preferred her pocket. Granted, her pocket was more comfortable than any textbook, Fluff could have opted to go into her locker if given directions. Lowering her hands into her pocket, she stretched out her index finger to touch the small furs on Fluff’s head. I guess I can get used to it, she thought.

Looking outside, a sigh left her lips. This looked like a perfect day to get some ice cream. The sky was clear, the Eiffel tower was still standing despite the number of times if it has ruined by the hands of akumatized people, only for Ladybug to come in and save the day. It really goes to show how her people, both from her mother and father side, were resilient in the time of crisis. Perhaps Ladybug was the best symbol of what it meant to be French.

The peace only lasts for seconds as dread filled her when she heard phones start to ring and vibrate all around her. Ms. Mendeleev lost the peace of silence as people were looking at their phones, whispering frantically. Olivia was about to join in on the rebellion, getting her own phone out, but the message was clear from Alya as she flashed her phone screen to the class. The large purple warning sign was familiar to them all. It was an app that Alya created in part of her Lady-blog to let people report sightings of heroes or even akumas…

A small whine escaped Olivia’s lips as she realized it could not be the former.

“There’s an Akuma attack!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am just using a pre-existing kwami as no one is the holder of it yet, and I think it would be fun. Still undecided if I want to stick with "She" perspective or "You" perspective.


	3. Chapter 3

Olivia felt she was the worse first-time hero. What kind of hero was reluctant to go in danger?

 _A smart one_ , she concluded.

Glancing at herself in the mirror, she looked like she was the human resemblance of a bunny. Touching the small headband that had two rabbit ears attached, she was surprised to feel the sensation. She went to feel her own ears, seeing as they haven’t disappeared, but she couldn’t feel anything when she tugged on them, or even hear. To her dismay though, her black curly hair had become more of loose curls, the natural hair color slowly transitioning to white at the hair ends. Her sweater and the blue skirt was nowhere to be seen. She found herself wearing a gray leotard that with the trimming being a dark-blue color around her shoulder. There is a belt around her waist and when she twisted around, she saw that it circling around a series of small ribbons that seemed to act as her…tail? Her leotard was connected to gray leggings with soft cotton material around her heels and toes, appearing as rabbit feet. Looking at her hands, she had on white gloves and large cuffs. Overall, she realized she did look kind of cute. The only thing she had to get use to was having gray eyes. She wanted to discuss Fluff about it, but something told her that it wouldn’t be a discussion.

“Suck it up, you have to…somehow save Paris.” The idea sounded laughable, but here she was, dressed and ready for action. It was worse that she couldn’t rely on Fluff who was absorbed into her ring; did that hurt or suffocate them?

With her book bag somewhat hidden underneath the sink, she scaled to the window sill of the girl’s bathroom and took a deep breath.

“Inhale positivity. Inhale positivity.” She chanted to herself before focusing on area of where she landed. There was a small gap in between the buildings, but she would be able to make it, but the only problem was the height. She pressed her feet against the wall and pushed away. The momentum pushed her well over to the other building without a problem; to think she thought she was going to have to push herself harder. Her breath shortening as she was approaching a rooftop. 

“No, no no!” She yelled, crashing against the tile plates, few of them breaking and sliding off the edge. The side of her body had taken on the brute of her pain but was quickly subsided. “Not a smart one, not at all…” She strained her neck to look down and felt her rib cage to see if anything was broken.

-

 

“ _Olivia-!”_

“ _Give me a second.” She whispered back to Fluff before grabbing her book bag and running to the door. There were enough people talking about the situation that it was safe to assume that the chemistry lesson for today was cancelled. For good reason too, Olivia wasn’t paying attention to the first 30 minutes of whatever Ms. Mendeleev was talking about – she couldn’t even rely on Dimitri for what we learned; how unfortunate._

“ _Miss Perret! It is better to stay in the room while there is an akuma attack happening! Ladybug and Cat Noir will handle this–” Oh, she honestly would have stayed in the room if she could, ignoring whatever threat was happening out there and rely on the heroes of Paris, but she couldn’t fight back against the small creature that was ready for action. Where did Fluff get that enthusiasm from?_

“ _I know, it’s just…akuma attacks don’t settle well in my stomach and I_ _think I’m going to be sick_ _. I’ll be back_ _once I’m done._ _” She excused,_ _finally gaining her freedom as she thought about the next order of business, which would be how to escape_ _. She knew that Alya was itching to leave as her Ladyblog thrived off of any related to akumas_ _and the heroes._ _Maybe she should have waited until Alya found a way out?_

_She started to head down the stairs, stopping mid-way as she watched teachers closing the gates of the school._

_**S** **o much for leaving the easy way.** She thought before looking around. Her options were limited, but there was little she could do. _

“ _Bathroom.” That would be inconspicuous enough and if Fluff was actually telling the truth about her having tougher skin and jumping capabilities, perhaps she didn’t have to worry too much. She ran along the upper level before rounding the corner, bursting into the bathroom. Locking the door, she opened her bag and watched as Fluff flew out. Her pupils were dilating as she zoomed right in front of Olivia’s face._

“ _Alright, akuma attack! I was hoping to train with you about your powers, but no time like the present!” The enthusiastic energy Fluff had would be amazing on any other day, but right now was not a good time. Olivia looked back to the flying creature with a weary look._

“ _I don’t know, Fluff. Perhaps we should wait for Ladybug and Cat Noir to do this. I mean, they always done it before. We just need to wait things out. If I go in there, I might ruin their plan and then it’s going to be on me.” For something she never wished for, it would be too much. And what happens if someone got hurt because of her slow thinking? The thought of putting someone into danger and possibly dying was too much to handle as she twisted her ring uncomfortably._

“ _I will mess up.” It would only be better to wait it out. Fluff only tilted her head before approaching Olivia’s fingers and started to nibble to her thumb. Olivia pulled her hands away. “What are you doing?”_

“ _I heard that pain distract you from your fear.” She replied before perching herself on Olivia’s hand._

“ _I don’t think that is true.”_

“ _And neither is you messing up.. Olivia, I have not known you for more than 72 hours and I know this is a different atmosphere for you, but you are thinking of what can go wrong.”_

“ _Which is everything.” Olivia interjected, tapping on Fluff’s head as she tried to bite Olivia’s thumb in annoyance._

“ _No! Think about what could go right. You could be a hero! You can save one person or even a dozen of people! You can work with Ladybug and Cat Noir to save Paris. Making a difference…that would be amazing.”  
_

“ _Nice and inspiring words...And if I fail?”_

“ _Then you fail, but it does not mean you cannot get back up. You are Olivia Perret. You are the current holder of me, the Rabbit Miraculous. That just only means you are destined for greatness.” That was some pretty big ego._

_It had to be a speech that the little ball of fluff has told many times before. Despite the feeling, the woman looked up and saw those light gray eyes looking at her with such passion and intensity that could only make her sigh._

“ _Inhale positivity.” Fluff added on._

“ _Inhale positivity.” Olivia agreed as she slowly stood up, “Alright, let’s do this. Fluff, ears up!”_

_-_

 

Rolling onto her stomach, she brushed off the small debris off her sides. At least being in this superhero costume meant she could avoid some of the damage. Not like she wanted to test the limits out anytime soon though…

Pulling herself up, she started to run to where she heard the altercation. Despite the ears looking like a headband for some rabbit costume, she could still feel it attached to her body and her hearing was definitely better than before, that was for certain. She needed to ask Fluff how to use them properly. The sudden idea made her stop at the edge of the building, shaking her head.

“Olivia, be careful. It sounds like you might be taking this too seriously.” She mumbled to herself. Pressing her feet against the ground, she propelled forward at an amazing height. While her stomach was still doing flips as if she was on a roller coaster, she had a better time on her landing. It was the greatest, but at least she wasn’t breaking any more roofs.

“Maybe I can it as a skill for colleges.” It would be pretty impressive – all she needed to learn was parkour skills and make a fun video.

But the fun time had to be settled as she noticed a hoard of people in the middle of the street, surrounding this one expensive looking car. Crouching down, she watched as citizens were screaming and running away. Probably a tell-tale sign of an akuma attack. The hoards of people were rocking the car back and forth until it finally tipped over. Olivia cringed, beginning to imagine the cost of damages the car had sustained. Instead of cheers for doing the immorally wrong, she was met with silence, their bodies swaying over to face a lone figure who was on top of a tipped over bus.

She knew from her sister that there were some strange videos such as cow tipping in the States, maybe some people here wanted to recreate a modernized version?

“Focus, Olivia...” She whispered to herself, glancing to the lone figure who let out a dramatic laugh.

“Good, Good! Now drag him out of there! I want him to realize who he is dealing with!” The long figure spoke as the unusual submissive crowd went to try and pry the door open while others had spread out doing who knows what.

“What made you upset today?” Olivia questioned under her breath, gasping a little as she saw people carrying brooms and other hard objects, “Okay…” She glanced around frantically, hoping to see a sign of Ladybug or even Cha–

“You know, I don’t think his insurance covers angry mobs. You want to call just in case?” That sounded very much like Cat Noir. Peering over the railing, she saw the hero in black clad and pressure lifted off her chest. She wouldn’t have to do it alone and if she really got it her way, she wouldn’t have to do anything at all. 

“There you are Cat Noir! I see that Ladybug is still not with you. What’s a sidekick going to do without their leader?” The akuma villain spoke, “You sure you are a match for The Pitcher? You might as well give up your miraculous right now!” Ladybug…Olivia gave a quick scan around the area for the famed red-suited heroine, her shoulders sagging. I guess the rumors are still true then, Ladybug really is gone for some reason.

“No.” Olivia shook her head in defiance, “She will show up, maybe just a little late.” Then that is when she can start to help out and fight. Convincing herself it was the best option, she watched as the battle went underway. The Pitcher, the name itself made her cringe, wasn’t a person who seem to get up close and in person. There were zombie-like people moving towards Cat while others were still trying to pry the door open. She saw Cat Noir pull out a silver baton and trying to attack the akumatized individual.

“There’s a person in the car though.” She whispered worriedly, squeezing her hands together. Ladybug will show up, do her special power, and everything will be fixed. Maybe she will show up at the last minute when everything counted on her? She will reach to help Cat Noir, then push the people away and–

“Oh no...” Olivia looked to see the side car window being broken in with a rock. In a matter of seconds…

She grabbed the whip tied around her waist and tested its tensile strength. It was hard to tell, but no time to start testing if she learned anything from her science class. Climbing over the railing carefully, she tapped her ring before putting it close to her mouth.

“If you hear me, Fluff, I want a crash course for these things later on.” With nothing else holding her back, she jumped down, using her hands to steady herself once she landed and gripped her whip. First and foremost, she needed to get the person in the car to safety.

She pulled her whip back and focused on her target who was currently hammering away with the rock with no care of how their own hands were being hurt by it. With a little pray in the back of her mind, she thrusted her hand forward, watching as the whip, surprisingly long too, had wrapped around the target’s waist.

“There are better ways to approach this!” She warned, letting her presence be known and used her strength to pull the woman away. While she winced at how her body his the ground, but cringed when the rock went loose as soon as the woman was dragged away, slamming against the window and effectively cracking it, “Yeah, you should have kept that advice to yourself...” She could scold herself more later and rushed over to the car.

“Who are you?!” The Pitcher demanded. Olivia had jumped onto the car and peer to see a man who was nearly dragged out of the car. His crisp suit...it felt like it was screaming at Olivia at how broke she was. The rock was near inches from his head, but he did not go unscathed, small cuts seen on his face and hands; his suit with deep creases and a large brown spot that smelled like coffee. In the end, he was alive and she can still help.

“Are you okay, sir?”

“I’ll live. Can you please–” No need to say no more. Olivia leaned down hook her arm around the seat buckle, clicking the button. Twisting it around his body, he started to move his body and roll his shoulders. Doesn’t look like anything was broken so far.

“What took you so long, that rock almost hit my head. And where’s Ladybug?”

“It’s...um...first day on the job.” Perhaps she shouldn’t have been honest given his look of shock and disappointment, “And she’s not here… but she will be!” 

There were further complaints, mostly about his car, but she started to pull him out of the dangerous situation, in awe at the fact she could pick up a grown man with ease. Super strength as well? That needed to be something she had to test next time around. While there was something fascinating of carrying a bigger person without much effort, there needed to be time to be mindful of the zombified people. The car swayed as she quickly looked over her shoulder to see Cat Noir perched on the vehicle, focusing his gaze on her, but his body was facing the Pitcher.

“I guess my lady is always looking out for me. When did she recruit you?” The smile on his face made her smile slight. This was a real superhero in her midst, how could she not be in awe? He looked confident and she felt that she could relax just a little. Although, his comment made her confused, “Did she tell you why she’s been gone for such a long time? I can’t really get rid of akumas like her.”

“Recruit? 

“Yeah, why else would you be here?” Other than being guilt into obligation…? “Did...you not see Ladybug?”

“I haven’t seen Ladybug sightings since...last week.” Which is about the time as everyone else in her class. The smile on his face dropped into a frown and his shoulder sagged. Did that mean he didn’t know either? Olivia realized that the smile was more for the aspect of Ladybug potentially being seen rather than actual help being offered. It was a little more awkward than she thought. 

“I’ll take care of him, then I’ll come bac–”

“No need. I’ll get rid of her akuma before you can blink!” He twirled his baton before jumping after the Pitcher, his fighting appearing more aggressive. If Ladybug’s own partner didn’t know where she was…?

“Well, the sooner you are safe, the better for all of us. Hang on.” Olivia prioritized, pushing against the car and jumping high in the air. She did take fault for not warning the man as he let out a scream and gripped her arm as if it would help them. It only caused the woman to lose focus and land on a balcony, her back crashing against one of the stained window and causing a crack. Letting the man down, she knocked on the door politely.

“Hello? I’m just letting you know you have a man on your balcony, just temporary so please do not be alarmed. I’m also sorry about your window.” She quieted her shouting for some type of response and looked down to the survivor with a sheepish smile. No matter what, he would be safe there. Leaping off the railing, she returned to the ground, quickly moving to get away from the hoard who suddenly changed objective. Cat Noir on the other hand was going at it with the Pitcher, but nothing seemed to be progressing. Tugging on her whip, she moved to the man, moving so she could get in his line of sight, 

“What can I do to help?”

“I’m fine here!” His words proved to be true as she watched him kick the poster board out of her hands before cracking it over his knee. It seemed like that did the trick as she watched as a black butterfly flutter away from the broken board as if it wasn’t the route to all their problems.

“Do we let it fly away?” Cat shook his head at her question and removed a mason jar that was by his side. Approaching swiftly, he reached up and encased the small butterfly, shutting the lid. Olivia crouched down, she looked to the trapped butterfly with a frown; she didn’t understand “I thought you were going to get rid of it, not trap it.”

“You really are new to this, huh? Only Ladybug can do that.” Cat had tapped his finger against the glass before shaking his head, “Anyways, our work here is done...who are you again?”

  
“I’m Ol-….” She paused, looking at her form. She didn’t want people to know about her form. She knew Chloe was a loudmouth when she was Queen B in the very short circumstances she became a “hero.” “I’m Cottontail?”

“Cotton...tail?” The small snort he made caused her rub the back of her neck.

“It’s a work in progress. But it was nice to work with you, Cat. Hope we can work more together in the future.” As a way of reassurance, she stuck out her hand as he stared at it.

“It’s only until Ladybug comes back though.” He replied quickly as Olivia took it as a sign to lower her hand. The comment rubbed her the wrong way. She didn’t want to seem spiteful and kept quiet. While he had walked over to the unwilling participants of the akumatized fiend, she glanced up to her own survivor.

She did something at least, she saved one person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got this one out finally. Hope you enjoy.

**Author's Note:**

> I was hoping to do this story when they are about 16-17 years old, only because I would want to touch on more villains who don't seem too cartoon-y and more life and death stakes.


End file.
